Understanding Culture and Culture

A. Understanding Culture

The word Culture comes from Sanskrit, Budhayah, which is the plural form of budhi which means mind or reason.

Culture is a way of life that develops and is shared by a group of people and is passed down from generation to generation. Culture is formed from many complex elements, including religious and political systems, customs, languages, tools, clothing, buildings, and works of art. Language, as well as culture, is an inseparable part of human beings so that many people tend to think of it as being genetically inherited . When someone tries to communicate with people who are culturally different and adjust their differences, it proves that the culture is learned.

Thus culture can be interpreted things that are concerned with reason and way of life that always changes and develops over time. There is another opinion that examines the word culture as a development of compound words which means the power of mind.

B. Definition of Culture

In this case, Prof. Dr. Koentjoroningrat defines culture as the whole system of ideas, actions and results of human work in the framework of the life of the community that is made into human property by learning. This means that almost all human actions are cultures because there are only a few human actions in the framework of people's lives that do not need to be accustomed to learning, such as instinctive actions, reflexes, some actions due to physiological processes, or behavior when they are blind. Even the human being who is the ability of instinct carried by human beings in their genes with him (such as eating, drinking, or walking), is also overhauled by him to be a cultural action.

Culture according to Ki Hajar Dewantara means the fruit of human mind is the result of human struggle against two powerful influences, namely nature and age (nature and society) which are proof of the glory of human life to overcome various obstacles and difficulties in their lives and livelihoods in order to achieve safety and happiness at birth it is orderly and peaceful.

Malinowski said that culture is principally based on various systems of human needs. Each level of need presents a distinctive cultural pattern. For example, in order to meet human needs for safety, culture arises in the form of protection, namely a set of cultures in certain forms, such as social institutions.

E.B Taylor (1873: 30) in his book Primitive Culture culture is a complex unit or fabric, which includes knowledge, belief, art, morality, law, customs and other abilities acquired by a person as a member of society.

C. Cultural and Cultural Differences

From the writing above it can be concluded that the difference between culture and culture is that culture is a creation, a sense and intention of a society, while culture is the result of the creativity, sense and intention of the community.

D. Relationship between Culture, Culture and History

It is clear and certain that culture or culture has history as well as other sciences. Culture and culture is one of the historical spheres. Without any cultural or cultural history, then we will not know the origin or origin of its emergence and development. For example, the history of Hindu and Buddhist culture in Indonesia or the history of Islamic culture in Indonesia. By seeing or reading history, we know how a culture of Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, etc. developed in Indonesia. So history and culture or culture are very related and it is important to learn so that we know which are truly indigenous cultures of Indonesia, and which ones are mixed (acculturation / assimilation). Likewise also with the history of culture or culture of other nations, there's nothing wrong for us to read its history.

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